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7 Essentials for Mailing in 2007
The United States Postal Service® is making changes that effect how you prepare and pay for mailings. In many ways, it is a broader set of changes to be implemented in 2007 than the classification reform of 1996. Be prepared!
1. USPS® new distribution network - shape based: Shape oriented processing and distribution: Flat, Parcel, letter – all rates will be shape based. An example of how this will change what you mail is in First-Class™ and Standard Mail® Parcels. It will cost more to send the same 4 oz piece of mail if it is in a parcel shape (more than ¾” thick), than if it is letter-sized.
2. Discounted rates - drop ship becomes more important than ever: Currently, there are great discounts for drop shipping. The trend for future rate adjustments show that the discounts will be more substantial for those mailers that can get containers of a particular shape of mail to the processing center that is designated to process that kind of mail. If you can drop ship your flats to a flats processing facility, your parcels to a parcel processing facility and your letter mail to a letter mail processing facility, you can achieve substantial savings and faster delivery times.
3. New postal forms, and ways of communicating with the USPS
• There will be new statement forms to be filled out.
• There will be more rates and processing categories to choose from.
• Utilize PostalOne!® for electronic postage payment.
• Utilize FAST Web services, saving time and improving accuracy.
4. Some optional processes are now essential, or even required.
• Post-presort software is now essential to your operation. Complete data management and flexibility, including the ability to make last minute real-time changes to your mailing data, become imperative.
• Some automation discounts go away, while some become required.
• Utilizing Mail.dat® for speed and accuracy of your electronic data needs becomes applicable to mailers of all sizes.
5. Tailor your documentation to reflect what was actually mailed.
• Create your mailing documents that match you mailing, instead of trying to match your mailing to the paperwork. The initial presort is a plan, not necessarily the exact final result.
• Detailed mailing data is now becoming more important in order to produce recording and reporting for mailers and customers. Mailers need to know how and when mail was delivered, how much was paid for it. Have systems that document it exactly.
6. Maintain an integrated database reflecting all mailing activity.
• It is essential that businesses keep a database of all postal statements, documentation, and mailing activity. This database should be able to create reports that reflect all mailing activities, perform comprehensive and accurate postage accounting, match clients and jobs to mailing statements, and reduce the need to store paper statements. The mailing database should act as a repository for all jobs, regardless of how they were presorted or how the postage was paid.
In addition, this database should interface data with USPS postal programs like PostalOne!, FAST (Facility Access and Shipment Tracking), and Confirm®; internal systems such as business management and accounting systems; and, most importantly, your client.
7. Get more from each piece of mail.
Integrate direct mail with email and other marketing channels such as time telemarketing follow up. Your need to get more results from the same piece of mail is more important than ever before. |
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